Read Online Everything You Need by Evelyn Lyes - Free Book Online

long they had known each other, when he lifted his head, narrowed his eyes and repeated his question, “Who’s George?”
    She was tempted to say, ‘Why do you care?’ Really, why did he care? “My tenant.”
    “The one who’s leaving?”
    “Yes.” She crossed her arms. “Do you want to know who was on the phone, too?”
    He nodded and then, after a moment of silence in which she didn’t offer him an answer, he smiled. “But you don’t seem to be willing to share.”
    She shrugged. Another stretched moment of tense silence. The air around them became heavy and suffocating. Their eyes locked and she couldn’t move, it was like he had cast some sort of spell over her.
    He broke their eye contact and lessened the distance between them in one step. “Kris,” he more whispered than said. “Oh, Kris, what are we going to do?”
    She wanted to ask ‘about what?’ but then she looked up at him and lost herself in the embrace of his dark eyes. There was something glittering in them, something so familiar and so alien at the same time. Affection, that what it was. But that affection wasn’t meant for her. It was for the girl whose face adorned the pages in the sketchbook, the sketchbook which cover carried the inscription Kate . She needed a quiet corner, she needed to think about everything that had happened today. She needed to analyse it and to adjust her expectations and behaviour accordingly, because if she didn’t... If she didn’t, she would allow herself to hope for things that weren’t possible and she would end up hurt. Right now, she needed to push him away, she had to escape the spell of his gaze, and yet, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his, knowing full well what would follow if she didn’t. He would kiss her.
    There was just a step of distance between them and suddenly there was none. His arms wrapped around her and he leaned over her, his hands sliding up her back.
    She should have moved away, broken free from the prison of his arms, but it was as if she was stuck and she did the only thing her body was capable of doing. She rested her hands against his chest, feeling the hard muscles under her fingers, and pushed herself up on her toes.
    Their mouths touched and their tongues slid against each other.
    A buzz of electricity shot up her spine and heat spread over her body, making her light-headed. Her fingers fisted the fabric of his shirt. What was it about him that made him so irresistible to her? Why couldn’t she resist him, push him away? What was so special about him? She didn’t know anything about him besides him being an artist, who lived above the gallery, that he liked Good Omens and that he felt something for the girl named Kate.
     
    #
     
    “Hey! Hey, you!” a female voice called out.
    Kris heard the calls together with thunder of boots against the asphalt, but until the hand descended on her shoulder, stopping her, she thought that it was meant for somebody else. She turned around.
    Ashton’s friend stared at her with something like dislike in her brown eyes. She released her. “I’m Mary,” she said. “Ashton’s friend.”
    “Yes?”
    “I need to talk to you.”
    To tell her to leave Ashton alone, most likely. But Kris couldn’t do that, even if she wanted to, since she owed him twenty hours of posing. A cold wind rushed around the corner and she shivered and pulled the scarf higher. “Talk.”
    “Not here.” Over her shoulder, Mary glanced at the gallery, four buildings behind them, and pushed her hands deep into the pockets of her thick jacket.
    She’s afraid that Ashton might see us , Kris speculated. She could refuse Mary and tell her that she didn’t have time, but from her experience that usually didn’t work. She had better get this over with. “Walk with me.” She resumed her stride. Even though it was only a little after five, the twilight had darkened the sky and the street lights cast a yellow glow on the pavement. There were a few people